Gators Season Analysis

When Tim Tebow scored his final touchdown in the Swamp against Florida State last year, it was almost bittersweet. Thousands of fans had seen Tebow run the ball with fury since 2006 when he came to UF as one of the top quarterback prospects. He was a legend at Nease High, once finishing a game on a broken leg. However, when number 15 graduated to becoming a first round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Gators were left without its spiritual and emotional leader.

Heading into week three of the college football season, the loss of Tebow has clearly hit the Gators hard. What was once a dynamic and pretty much unstoppable offense has become sloppy and predictable.

In week one against Miami (Ohio), the Gators had 27 yards of offense heading into the fourth quarter.

For much of the first half the play-calling was full of short, check-down passes and dive plays up the middle. Besides that, center Mike Pouncey, the senior member of the offensive line, botched numerous snaps.

In week two, the team started out slowly again, with many of the same problems. The running game struggled until Jeff Demps ripped off a 62-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

There were definitely positive signs in that quarter, but can the Gators really afford to have such slow starts on offense when they play legitimate teams like No. 1 Alabama or LSU?

Here are a few key issues that face the Gators this season:

Replacing the production of the “Big Three”
In 2009 Tebow, tight end Aaron Hernandez, and receiver Riley Cooper were productive and reliable options that defenses had to account for. Hernandez enjoyed a record-setting year, catching 68 passes for 850 yards and five touchdowns, en route to winning the John Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end. The junior entered the NFL Draft and was selected in the fourth round by the New England Patriots.
Tebow’s roommate Cooper stepped up his senior year after the departure of Percy Harvin. Cooper enjoyed a fine season, catching 51 passes for 961 yards and nine touchdowns before being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round.
Without Tebow’s dual-threat skills, and the reliability of Hernandez and Cooper, the Gators offense has struggled to execute many plays that they are accustomed to doing. The tight end shovel-pass has failed miserably and quarterback John Brantley is not capable of running the speed option play which was a nightmare for defenders. Until Chris Rainey (whose career is up in the air right now) learns how to execute the Percy position, Deonte Thompson learns how to consistently catch the football, and a reliable tight end option emerges, this offense will continue fail to play up to expectations.

Continuity on the offensive line
The Gators returned four of five starters on the offensive line, but they have not all played together this season as left tackle Xavier Nixon has been sidelined with a knee injury. This has forced right tackle Marcus Gilbert to switch to the left side, guard Maurice Hurt to shift to right tackle, leaving sophomore Jon Halapio to slide in at right guard. Even more disappointing has been the play of Mike Pouncey who was expected to be the rock of the line. He took over at center after his brother Maurkice was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2010 draft. Pouncey has struggled with snaps and the line has not seemed to gel in terms of run-blocking so far.
Luckily for the Gators, Nixon is set to return this week which should allow GIlbert and Hurt to move back to their usual positions. Nixon earned playing time as a freshman and looks like a future NFL player.
The team needs the mammoth-sized Carl Johnson to step up his senior year. Junior James Wilson also needs to fulfill expectations after coming to UF as the No. 12 overall recruit in 2007.

Pass Rush
Dating back to the days of Jevon “The Freak” Kearse, the Gators have had numerous highly-athletic pass rushers to depend on. Since 2006, eight UF defensive linemen have been drafted, including 2010 draftees Carlos Dunlap and Jermaine Cunningham. Both were terrific pass rushers, each recording 19.5 career sacks. THis year however, there has been a clear issue with the pass rush. Senior Justin Trattou, who was actually rated higher than Carlos Dunlap coming out of high school on Scout.com, has been solid throughout his career, but has failed to make a big impact. Additionally, Duke Lemmens is more of a rotational guy who does not possess the athleticism of former UF defensive ends.
One reason to remain optimistic is the 2010 recruiting class. With the additions of Ronald Powell, Sharrif Floyd, Dominique Easley, Leon Orr, and Lynden Trail, this freshman defensive line class may be the most talented in any program’s history. Orr and Trail will redshirt, but Powell, the nation’s No. 1 ranked player, Floyd, and Easley should make an impact this year. Through the first two games Floyd has been the most impressive, but Powell has the talent to fill the shoes of Dunlap as a premier pass rusher in the SEC.